Dholera airport granted ‘site clearance’

The airport at Dholera is expected to replace the existing airport at Ahmedabad.

Ahmedabad |
July 21, 2014 8:15 pm

The Narendra Modi-government has granted “site clearance” for the greenfield international airport at Dholera at Ahmedabad in Gujarat. This airport located near the Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR) is being developed due to “expansion constraints” at the existing airport in Ahmedabad city.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Shri G.M. Siddeshwara informed the Lok Sabha on Monday that the government has accorded site clearance for the Greenfield international airport project at Dholera at Ahmedabad in Gujarat being developed by the Gujarat Infrastructure Development Board in 2014, stated a release from the Press Information Bureau.

Gujarat government has already reserved 1700 hectares of government land between Pachham-Valinda-Pipli villages of Dhandhuka taluka of Ahmedabad district. This site is about 80 kilometers from Ahmedabad and around 20 kilometers from Dholera SIR. Besides, Ahmedabad, the planned airport is easily accessible for people living in cities of Nadiad, Anand and Bhavnagar.

The airport at Dholera is expected to replace the existing airport at Ahmedabad which according to GIDB is expected to get saturated before the year 2020.

Besides the airport at Dholera, Siddeshwara also informed the Lok Sabha that NDA government has so far identified 50 locations with the potential to develop small airports in various states. This includes, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Kandla and Keshod in Gujarat. Locations in the neighbouring union territories of Daman and Diu has also been identified, the minister informed.